All Fall Down
by Nynaeve1723
Summary: Jordan makes a decision. Rated T for one bad word.


FEEDBACK: Yes, please. I respond to everything except flames. Constructive criticism is valued.

DISCLAIMER: I don't own these characters. No profit is being made. It's all for fun.

**A/N: Sigh… So much to say and I just don't have the energy. IMO TPTBs have screwed up big time with the J/W arc and have written Woody very inconsistently this season. It takes a lot to make me jump ship, but :sniff, sniff: my feel are definitely on the railing at least. For me, Jordan deserves better than what she's been getting from Woody this year.**

**I'm hoping the upcoming eps will change my mind, but in the mean time I'm fixing things with fic.**

**All Fall Down **

Jordan lifted up the heart of one Mr. Robert Westerfield to weigh it. Just as she was noting the weight, the door to Autopsy One opened. She threw a glance over her shoulder. "Hey, Woody."

"I need to talk to you."

She flicked up her eyebrows. "I'm fine, thanks. How're you?" She turned back to Mr. Westerfield's heart and lifted it from the weighing pan.

"I'm serious, Jordan."

She set aside the heart and turned to him, her gloved hands bloody enough to make him pale slightly. "Okay. I think I get that. Is it about the stabbing this morning?"

He shook his head. "This isn't about a case."

"Well, then, it's gonna have to wait. I'm kind of busy here, if you hadn't noticed." She waved her gloved fingers, enjoying the green cast of his skin, given his preemptory tone.

"It can't wait."

"What is it?"

He glared at her. "I do not want to have this conversation while you're – while you're doing what you're doing." He scuffed one toe against the floor. "It's personal."

It was Jordan's turn to glare. "Then it's really gonna have to wait. Or you'll have to tell me now."

Taking a deep breath, he set his jaw. "Fine. It's about-"

"And how are we today, kiddies?" Nigel came through the door, his tone jovial, his eyes quickly taking in a scene that struck him as tense, to say the least.

Jordan gave Woody a saccharine smile and indicated he should respond.

Woody flushed. "I – uh – um. Nothing. I'll – uh – Call me when you're done, Jordan. Okay?"

"Sure." She gave him a wary, mystified look before turning back to the late Mr. Westerfield while Woody slammed out.

Nigel's brows knit down in confusion. "Did I… miss something?"

Jordan sighed heavily and rolled her eyes. "I don't know. He's – It's – Never mind." She lifted up the cadaver's liver and continued with her autopsy.

XXXXX

The sun had gone down and her office was dark except for the pool of light from her desk lamp. She was finishing up her report on Mr. Westerfield who, it appeared had expired of completely natural causes.

"Jordan?"

She looked up. "Woody."

"I asked you to call me."

A flash of irritation prickled across her skin and lit into her eyes. "Sorry. I've been a little bit busy today. You said it wasn't about a case-"

"It's about us."

That took her aback. "Oh. Okay. Um… yeah."

"Why did you tell Lu?"

Her eyes clouded. "What? Tell Lu about what?"

"Us. The Inn." His voice was cold, angry.

Jordan's mouth dropped and her honey colored eyes widened. "I didn't tell her."

"Well, she knows."

"Okay." She gazed at him. Wondering if he'd gone back to the stupid all-juice diet or whatever it had been. "I didn't tell her."

"You must have said something."

"I – Uh – When I went to check on Kayla… she asked me if I was still dating Pollack. I told her that was over. Said – Said something about – I don't know…." Her voice dropped. "…letting things go too far with an old friend."

Woody gave a low sigh and murmured a curse.

"Woody, what's the big deal? Who cares if Lu knows? It's not like…." A cold wave broke over her and her tongue seemed to grow fuzzy in her mouth. She forced herself to continue. "…you're sleeping with her."

Woody's eyes burned with an icy fire.

Jordan nodded to herself. "You're sleeping with her." She bit her lower lip and pushed back the tears that wanted to fall. "Since…?"

For a moment his jaw worked but no sound came forth. "It's not really any of your business."

"No? Really?" She was on her feet. "Let's see, Woody, I _cheated_ on someone who cared about me – really cared about me – someone who was willing to get past that, except _I_ couldn't." She took a deep breath through her nose, trying to rein in her boiling emotions. "I couldn't because – because I thought maybe you and I were finally on track."

"Jordan, I-"

"No, it's my turn. I understood that you wanted to take it slow. It made sense. I didn't realize 'taking it slow' meant you got to screw someone else."

He exploded. "So it was all right for you?"

"What? YOU cut me out of your life! Woody, you made it clear you wanted nothing to do with me." The light of revelation came up in her eyes. Her voice softened. "Until Pollack came along." She sank back into her chair as if she'd been punched in the stomach. "Until – Until - Oh God." She fixed a furious stare on him. "You're an asshole. You can be a real asshole at times, Woody."

"Yeah, Jordan? And how many times did you push me away because you knew I'd keep coming back for more? What does that make you?"

"This isn't about me, Woody. This hasn't been about me for the last year. I was ready. After the nun? I was willing – ready to – to see what would happen. _You_ shut us down. You're the one who didn't want to listen that night you stood in this office and told me you weren't going to push anymore. _You're_ the one who told me nothing changed after you got shot, who tossed me out of your life." Her voice had risen in anger, but the rage building inside of her was still well controlled. "_You're_ the one who wanted to take it slow, who didn't want to be my 'rebound guy.' Yeah, I've screwed up, Woody. A lot. And it's amazing you stuck around as long as you did, but for the last year? It's been you."

He had the grace to look chastened. "I – Uh – Wow, Jordan. Um-"

She stood up again and crossed to him. "And for the record?" She stood on her toes, her face close to his, her breath washing over him, reminding him that he'd never be able to get over her. "You were _never_ the rebound guy." She stood down, her countenance tilted up as her eyes, awash now with tears, drilled holes into him. "You were _the_ guy."

She started to brush past him, thinking of nothing more than getting away from the scene, of regaining her composure. He grabbed her arm, but found that she wrenched herself free immediately. "Jordan." He gripped her triceps again.

She spoke through clenched teeth. "Let go of me."

"Obviously, we need to talk."

She shook her head. "Let go. Now." Her voice was a growl.

"Jordan-"

"Don't bother. I'm done, Woody."

His hand fell from her arm. "You don't mean that."

"Try me, _Detective_."

"Jordan. Come on. Please." He was slightly breathless as the impact of her words began to sink in.

"No." She shook her head. "No more talking. No more taking it slow. No more dancing around each other. No more. Period." She swallowed the tears. "I can't do this anymore. I'm leaving the dance floor." She left her office, leaving him standing open-mouthed. She sought refuge in the ladies' room and there let her heart break into a million tiny pieces. It took enough time to begin to scare her to get the harsh, wracking sobs under control, but she did in the end. When she crept back toward her office, he was gone. A sharp stab of disappointment coursed through her and then there was only relief.

END

**Sequel? Oddly there is a sequel in my mind… review and let me know!**


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